1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the general method of portable monitors and diagnostic systems for life signs in living beings or operating efficiency in a dynamic system. The ability to detect life signs such as live heartbeat waveforms and body temperatures relates to the physical health of a living being. In an emergency situation where people are trapped or are residing in their homes, this ability to determine their life signs can translate into vital information to make decisions for rescuing people.
2. Discussion of the Background
On the other hand, the vibration and temperature measurements in many dynamic systems can determine the health or reliability of the system. Such systems include motorized systems, engines, or even manufacturing equipment.
Vibrations produced by a beating heart generate heart sounds that, when detected by a stethoscope, can be electronically recorded by a phonocardiogram. The use of acoustic sensors permits the capture of the entire vibration spectrum. A vibration spectrum is a measurement of vibrating signal amplitude versus time. All vibration spectra can be transformed either in frequency or wavelet domains to improve the characterization of system dynamics, which can be correlated to actual physical phenomena, such as the closing of the heart values, the reverberation of the blood against the walls of the arteries, the valves in the veins, and the ventricular walls. When the vibrations of the vessels or ventricles come into contact with the chest wall, these vibrations can be detected as acoustic waves.
It is known that the phonocardiogram can be used to identify abnormal heart conditions, such as aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis, and patent ductus arteriosus. The transformed spectra give rise to unique peaks or pattern of peaks, allowing for quantifiable identifications and rules of computation to be performed.
The temperature of a person is very critical, especially in cold climates. The ability to correlate the person's heart rate against the body temperature gives a fuller picture of the severity of the situation.
This can be argued equally in the case of a vibrating system with motors, gears, bearings—it is known where the vibration frequency spectrum is characterized by many aspects of the system, including the motor rotation speed, the number of stators, and the bearings. Any changes in the vibration spectrum and temperature can suggest abnormality or premature failure.
In several occasions, it is necessary to have multiple channels for acoustic and temperature measurements; thus, the system requires an architecture that supports input expandability. A bidirectional wireless transmission capability allows the user to have freedom of movement for daily activities. The corresponding base unit can be in its vicinity. However, it would be too bulky for a field operation, so a field commander can wear a portable base unit in a pouch on the belt or pocket to become a relay station for an established network of existing communications. The existing network of communication can be in the form of Ethernet, USB, Internet, wireless IEEE802.11a/b/g or wireless IEEE802.16, etc. The network communication allows all the data to be stored, monitored, and further analyzed remotely. Since this is live data, monitoring the health and diagnostics in the field by experts in real-time becomes a reality.